I Am a Tiger

The first of the Texas 2x2 nominee books Mom and I read was "I am a Tiger." I am a Tiger" was written by Karl Newson and illustrated by Ross Collins. Mouse is the main character in this story, but he does not believe that he IS a mouse. In fact, Mouse has big dreams; he is convinced that he is a tiger. One at a time, all of the other animals take turns trying to convince Mouse that he is a not a tiger, but Mouse is determined. He lists all of the reasons that he knows he is a tiger. Not even Tiger himself can convince Mouse that he is wrong. In fact, Mouse tries to convince the other animals that they are not who they think they are. 

This funny and engaging story will make readers laugh out loud. Collins mede the illustrations are large, bright and colorful, with easily recognizable animals that stand out on the plain blue background. 

Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet

 Today we read Frankie Sparks & the Class Pet book 1 by Megan Frazer Blakemore and Illustrated by Nadja Sarell. The most exciting thing ever is happening in Frankie Spark's third grade class! their teacher, Ms. Cupid has just announced that the class will be getting a pet and they will have to work together to choose the perfect class pet. Frankie knows right away what the class pet should be: a rat like the ones her Aunt Gina works with at the university.  After all, it meets the requirements given by Ms. Cupid: 1. It fit in an aquarium, 2. It costs less than $50.00. 3. It is easily Portable 4. (After Frankie invents the Automatic Rat Feeder 3,000), It is able to be alone for the weekend. Now she just has to convince her classmates and teacher that t a rat is the best choice. Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet is a fast-moving story and full of humor. Students who enjoy STEM projects will enjoy reading about Frankie inventing the "Automatic Rat Feeder 3000". 

The first of the Bluebonnet nominees that Mom and I read was a picture book biography of former congresswoman Barbara Jordan, written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Ekua Holmes. “What Do You Do with a Voice Like That: The Story ” is targeted to elementary students with easy-to –understand text and colorful, eye-catching pictures.  Reluctant readers will stay engaged with the fast-moving text as it chronicles the life of Barbara Jordan and the impact she had on our nation’s history with the repetitive question “What do you do with a voice like that?” A time line of Barbara’s life is located at the end of the book, along with an author’s note and artist’s note. Readers will be inspired to think about their own gifts and how they can use them to change the world around them. This is an excellent book for students to read when doing research on famous Americans, or for a teacher to read aloud during Black History Month.

We give this book 4 paws up! 🐾🐾

The Homeschooling Begins

Hi, I'm Bitsy. My mom is Lisa Keefer, the Librarian for Willow Springs Elementary. Mom thought that since the other kids were being home schooled right now, I should be too. So it is back to the book grindstone for me! My Mom and I are going to read and review as many of the 2020 Texas Bluebonnet and Texas 2x2 nominees as we can get our paws on. Here we go!